When one disk to be reproduced is manually inserted into an insert port, automatic operation is carried out from carrying to a turntable to clamping. After the end of reproduction, in a disk player for ejecting the disk by automatic operation, a clamper must be positioned upwardly via a gap from a disk top face so as not to interface with a disk face basically in a process for injecting or ejecting the disk. In addition, the turntable must be positioned lower than a disk bottom face so that a center projection engaging with the disk does not inhibit invasion of the disk bottom face.
In addition, a guide for guiding insertion or ejection of the disk and a roller for supplying power for carrying the disk must come into contact with the disk face during disk movement, and a gap must be provided between the guide or roller and the disk during reproduction. Further, in order to interrupt external vibration, some gap must be ensured in the vertical direction of the disk face in consideration of the fact that an apparatus is set in a floating state.
Therefore, means for providing a gap at the top and the bottom of the disk is proposed. For example, an embodiment of inserting a disk D into a fixed turntable 21 is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 58-45659.
In addition, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 10-199095, there is disclosed an embodiment of fixing the height for inserting a disk 12, and then, vertically turning a turntable 71 and a disk clamp arm 73 around a hinge 74 during insertion to open them in a hinged manner. Otherwise, there are disclosed embodiments of fixing a position of a loading carriage roller or a fixing an upper face guide plate.
Basically, the disk is pinched between a roller which rotates to carry the disk at the time when the disk is inserted and a flat guide face. Then, the pinched disk is chucked by a turntable at a position at which the center of the disk is aligned with the rotary shaft of the turntable. In a state in which the disk can rotate together with the turntable, the roller and the guide face are relatively spaced from each other so that a gap is provided between the roller or guide and the disk face, whereby stable rotating movement for the disk must be obtained. Thus, it is mandatory to ensure a gap in the thickness direction relevant to the disk.
However, for a disk player which is used for a car or which functions while it is incorporated in a computer, a market requires compact design with space reduction and light weight, high reliability due to simplified structure, and low price. Planar dimensions parallel to the disk face cannot be reduced to be equal to or smaller than the external diameters of the disk. In addition, in order to maintain the strength of parts and ensure the durability of products, dimensional reduction of composite elements is limited. The dimensions in the thickness direction vertical to the disk face is reduced by a construction of the loading mechanism, thereby meeting the requirements.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a disk loading mechanism which is reliably actuated, the disk loading mechanism being applied to a disk player with its low cost having minimized the dimensions in the thickness direction with a simplified construction.